Announcement RFuel CellsR 2018.doc

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 692M15-18-R-00015 Regenerative and Reformer Fuel Cell Energy Storage

1. Background

The aviation industry has been studying, performing tests, and developing prototypes to support several applications of fuel cells including Solid Oxide, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane, and Regenerative Fuel Cells on airplanes. Some applications that have been discussed during industry meetings are as follows:

a. Use the electrical energy to replace an airplane's main battery, ram air turbine and auxiliary power unit;

b. Energy source for primary propulsion of aircraft.

c. Power equipment such as galley cookers, chillers, coffee makers, in-flight entertainment systems, cargo unit load devices and medical equipment; and

d. Use the water produced as a byproduct to reduce the need for water refilling trucks and ground support equipment.

Regenerative fuel cell energy storage systems encompass systems where there is electrochemical cell technology providing electrical power by operating in fuel cell mode and electrochemical cell technology providing reactant generation by operating in electrolysis mode. In the electrolysis operation mode, incoming water is electrochemically separated into its hydrogen and oxygen components by the reverse chemical reaction of the fuel cell. Specific cell operating characteristics determine if the reaction is endothermic or exothermic.

Reforming is a method for producing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or other useful products from hydrocarbon fuels. The sulfur content in most jet fuels make this a challenge. However new technology is being developed to overcome this limitation.

Current regulations and known means of compliance do not include this new and novel technology. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs this information and data to support the development of appropriate rules and guidance that will ensure integrity of electrical systems and safety of aircraft equipped with fuel cells. This research will search, test, and develop data and recommendations for FAA and global partners to support appropriate standards, regulations, and means of demonstrating safe compliance.

2. Purpose

The purpose of this BAA is to study and develop Regenerative fuel cell and Reforming technology for safe, certifiable installations on aircraft. This research should consider the following applications but it is not limited to this list:

Primary propulsion for light propeller airplanes Emergency Electrical Power Generation

Backup power Use of aircraft fuel to generate reactants

On board water generation

Efficient Combined use heat and electrical power

For these and any application of regenerative fuel cells, stack failure hazard should be defined and quantified for the application. Also how the technology will interface with the aircraft systems should be detailed. Also all reformer techniques should entail the complete balance of plant to exist with the aircraft fuel environment.

The goal of this research is:

· Assess current FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations concerning the installation of this technology onboard aircraft

· Determine characteristics of what constitutes a safe regenerative and/or reformer fuel cell system installation, operation, monitoring, control and maintenance.

· Identify any maintenance action or reliability issues to be include in the Instructions for continued airworthiness

· Safely managing, storing, fueling, and servicing hydrogen and other fuel sources

· Identify and assess the technical and operational risks associated with the technology and the mitigating factors that may be used to retain the same or increased level of safety as enjoyed today with conventional power systems.

The program will ultimately include an implementation plan of these guidelines into a standard or specification using any accepted aviation governing bodies such as Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

3. Submission Deadlines

Phase I White Papers (see sections 4 and 5) prepared in accordance with this synopsis will be accepted through 28 September 2018. Upon request of the FAA, formal Phase II proposals must be submitted not more than thirty days after the date of the request. The Phase II proposal request must be made via email from the FAA Contracting Officer (CO) listed below.

4. Submission Requirements

This BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to make an award or pay proposal preparation costs generated in response to this announcement. All foreign owned companies are subject to submitting disclosure information for review to determine the firm’s eligibility to do business with the US Government pursuant to current rules and regulations.

The submission process is two-phased as described below. Offerors will submit a 2 page, Phase I White Paper. This technical summary must meet the requirements described below in paragraph 5 ‘Phase I White Paper Requirements.’ Offerors must submit the Phase I White Paper to the following address:

William J. Hughes Technical Center Atlantic City Int’l Airport Atlantic City, NJ 08405

Attn: M. Walz; ANG-E271 In addition (not as a substitute for the paper copy), an electronic version of the summary proposal will be emailed to Michael.Walz@FAA.gov. Electronic copies must also be emailed to Karen.Mercer@FAA.gov and Ena.Morimoto@FAA.gov. The electronic version must be provided in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Multiple white papers may be submitted by the offeror addressing different aspects of the requested research covered under this announcement.

No later than thirty days after receipt of the Phase I white papers, the FAA will respond to offerors in one of three ways:

a. With a request for the submission of a formal technical proposal;

b. With a recommendation to submit a formal technical proposal if certain changes are made or conditions met; or,

c. With a letter requesting no further input on the proposed system, technology, or technique.

5. Phase I White Paper Requirements There is no specific format for the two page technical summary (white paper). The summary may be preceded by a cover letter, but the cover letter will not be considered in the evaluation and will not be counted in the page count. Though there is no specific format, at a minimum the summary must contain the following items:

a. The specific purpose of the proposed research;

b. A brief description of the proposed research method and how the validity of the method will be demonstrated;

c. Relevant expertise of each individual involved in the offeror’s response to this BAA, including any interest, endorsements, or partners in the aviation industry;

d. The current state of development of the proposed research;

e. A description of the class of applications for which the device is useful;

f. A description of how the device might be useful to the aviation community;

g. Information regarding interest, endorsements or partners in aviation;

h. The current state of development of the system, technology, or technique;

i. The estimated time it would take to develop a commercial prototype;

j. Description of any proposed testing and evaluation procedures for the proposed research;

k. The estimated funds required for the proposed effort.

6. Formal Proposal Requirements

ONLY OFFERORS WHOSE PHASE I WHITE PAPER IS CONSIDERED CAPABLE OF MEETING SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE BAA WILL BE ASKED TO SUBMIT A FORMAL PHASE II PROPOSAL. REQUEST FOR SUBMISSION OF A FULL PROPOSAL DOES NOT GUARANTEE AWARD SELECTION.

Proposals must be submitted electronically, with the manual or digital signature of an authorizing official, to the email address provided in the formal request letter. Proposal submission is not restricted in any way to any particular entity. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Small, Small Disadvantaged, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small, HUB Zone Small, Veteran Owned Small, and Women Owned Small Businesses are encouraged to participate.

The NAICS Code for this BAA is 541715.

Formal proposals will only be submitted at the request of the FAA Contracting Officer and must be received no later than 30 calendar days after the request date. Formal proposals must be submitted in two (2) volumes: Volume I - Technical Proposal and Volume II - Price Proposal.

VOLUME I - TECHNICAL PROPOSAL must not exceed 20 pages in length, no smaller than 10 pt font, letter size, with 1” margins. It must contain a more detailed discussion of the item(s) presented in the two-page technical summary, address comments from the two-page summary evaluation, and meet the specific project requirements as described below. Proposal must be signed by an authorizing official.

The formal technical proposal must be mailed to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) at the following address:

William J. Hughes Technical Center

Atlantic City International Airport

Atlantic City, NJ 08405

Attn: Michael.Walz@FAA.gov

Electronic copies must also be provided to Karen.Mercer@FAA.gov and Ena.Morimoto@FAA.gov

a. Any patented or proprietary technical procedures or data sensitive to the offeror’s commercial standing used in response to this announcement must be clearly identified.

b. The offeror must specify a plan into research and development of Fuel Cell systems capable of monitoring proper installation, maintenance, and evaluation of the system.

c. The offeror must identify which and how, aircraft system(s), operator, maintainer or regulator will benefit and maintain the proposed technology.

d. Determine the requirements for certification on aircraft and identify any known certification issues that will need to be addressed.

e. The offeror’s proposal must contain specific and detailed outline of the work proposed to encompass the requirements stated in this BAA. Proposals may contain multiple areas of research, which will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria described.

f. Offeror must prepare an implementation and technology transfer plan, describing how the research technology will be implemented and certified on aviation products.

g. The proposal must identify all areas of risk related to development, implementation, certification and technology transfer of the proposed system, technology, or technique. The proposal must include mitigating strategies for each risk area. Proposals that do not identify risk areas will be considered non-developmental in nature and therefore outside the scope of this research program. Implementation risks are associated with logistical issues, missing/inadequate support infrastructure, etc.

h. The proposal must identify the education level, experience (both general and project related), and the availability of sufficient key project professional and technical personnel. Documentation of past performance, both positive and negative, in executing work of this type must also be included.

NOTE: Pages in excess of the 20-page limit will not be reviewed.

VOLUME II - PRICE PROPOSAL. The Government seeks to award a firm-fixed price

(FFP) contract to any firm/entity selected to receive a contract award. Price proposals are not restricted in length. They must firm-fix price each step in the overall project associated with a deliverable and provide a price breakdown supporting the FFP for that step.

List the prime contractor, subcontractors and all other entities (trade-in-kind, etc.), provide their mailing address, phone number, email, point-of-contact, CAGE CODE and DUNS NUMBER. Be certain to identify any foreign companies.

In-house funding, cost matching, partnering with another company or academia, and services-in-kind, should be identified in the price proposal as appropriate.

The price breakdown must include the following:

-- Labor category (name of person), direct labor rate, # of hours

-- Indirect Burdens/burden rates (i.e. fringe benefits, overhead, G&A, material handling fee, subcontractor fee, etc.)

-- Subcontractors/Partners, etc. – Identify company, academic institution, government institution, etc. that will be participating in your project, provide the total price of that participation and the price break down in the same format requested of your firm (labor categories, cost of labor (fully burdened rates, since burden rates are business sensitive, hours), ODCs (specify what they are and cost), etc.

-- Travel: each trip includes origin/destination, # of persons travelling, type of transportation and cost, lodging - # of nights, car rental (if applicable), etc.

-- Other Direct Costs (ODCs) - direct materials, other direct costs, equipment, software, patents, royalties (specify what direct materials, etc.)

-- Other arrangements (if any): In-kind Contributions (identify them and indicate what their role is in the project)

Indicate whether your firm/entity has dealt with the Defense Contract Audit Agency

(DCAA) or any other Government agency that audited your firm, accepted Forward Pricing Proposals and/or established Forward Pricing Rate Agreements, etc. with your firm). An electronic copy of the formal Phase II proposal must be emailed to the CO.

7. Method of Evaluation

The Government reserves the right to award a contract for all, any part, or none of the responses received from this BAA. No contract award will be made unless the appropriate type and amount of funding is available.

Proposals will be evaluated in the following technical areas listed in order of decreasing importance:

A. Utility and benefit to the aviation community - The proposal must show the benefits of the proposed technology to the aviation community. This element will be evaluated on the following points, listed in descending order of importance:

1. Show that the technology will maintain or increase aircraft safety.

2. The technology will provide significant improvements in one or more of the following categories:

· Electrical energy storage

· Use of waste heat in aircraft

· Quality of Reactants for Fuel cell

· Use of aircraft Fuel for reactant generation

· Efficiency and weight trade-off analysis

3. The technology will simplify the aircraft electrical system in normal and abnormal operations.

4. The technology must support and define changes to current certification policies.

B. Technical merit - The proposal must show the offeror's knowledge and understanding of aircraft systems, electrical energy storage technology, and aerospace regulations. The proposal must contain a detailed technical discussion of the technical approach. This element will be evaluated on the following points, listed in descending order of importance:

1. Offeror demonstrates an understanding of current and upcoming electrical energy storage technologies and systems and their regulatory requirements for implementation.

2. Offeror demonstrates an understanding of aircraft environmental and certification requirements for the targeted system

3. Offeror demonstrates an understanding of the impact of the technology on aircraft systems’ safety; for example: If the device replaces multiple systems, it must function for all of the systems through all phases of flight and meet all requirements.

4. Offeror demonstrates an understanding of in service aircraft maintenance and operational actions.

The offeror must describe how the proposed system, technology, or technique, will be utilized by the aviation community and the compatibility of the system, technology, or technique, with current operating and maintenance processes. Infrastructure or process changes necessary to support the proposed system, technology, or technique must be described in detail.

Endorsement(s) of an aviation partner(s) will be considered an indication of the commercial viability of the system, technology, or technique.

C. Investigative team competency and experience - The proposal must contain the education level; experience, both general and project related, and the availability of sufficient key project professional and technical personnel, as evidenced by resumes provided. Documentation of past performance, both positive and negative, in executing work of this type must also be included.

D. Logical and effective validation strategy – The proposal must describe a scientific approach to validating the proposed system, technology, or technique. Specific performance requirements to be validated must be included in the proposal. Proposals not providing specific performance requirements for validation will be considered non-responsive and rejected in accordance with this plan.

E. Value to the FAA and Cost Sharing – The proposal must contain any applicable cost sharing or special partnerships i.e. with operators, manufactures or other government agencies that would provide value to the proposal. All cost sharing information will be evaluated by its value to the FAA in meeting the research requirements. Proposals that do not contain cost sharing or advantageous partnerships will still be considered on total value to FAA .

F. Technical risk and implementation risk and an effective risk mitigation plan for each - The proposal must describe potential areas and degree of technical risk associated with the proposed research effort and the implementation risk related to the eventual technology transfer and fielding of the system, technology, or technique. For each risk area, the offeror must describe plans for risk mitigation, and provide data to support the probability that the proposed method will accomplish the performance objectives.

G. Availability and quality of equipment and facilities - The proposal must indicate the location and availability of, or the ability to obtain, the necessary equipment and facilities to perform this effort.

H. Effective project management plan – The proposal must provide a realistic and organized plan for accomplishing the effort of the proposal within the proposed time goals, as evidenced by project separation into a viable schedule including discretionary project tasks and milestones. Potential impact of technical risks on scheduled tasks and milestones must be identified.

Cost realism will be evaluated as acceptable or unacceptable only. Preference will be given to fixed price offers. Acceptable proposals will have costs or price commensurate with the work load proposed and will not be in excess of $100,000 in any fiscal year.

8. Period of Performance:

Efforts lasting up to two years will be considered. These efforts will be funded in yearly increments, providing measurable and adequate performance is shown prior to each new funding increment. All projects will be funded annually, subject to availability of funds.